Kyoto

Ippodo offers an intimate encounter with the finest teas in Kyoto. An impressive selection of Japanese blends such as Gyokuro, Sencha, and Bancha are arranged in the store’s refined displays. Settle in at the counter of the Kaboku Tearoom for a guided lesson in the leisurely process of making tea using a traditional kyusu teapot.

Leave the city crowds behind and escape to Kameyama Koen Park, a leafy hilltop oasis on the outskirts of Arashiyama. Scenic in every season—with fiery fall colors and feathery cherry blossoms in full bloom in spring—the local monkeys, when they make an appearance, are the most thrilling sighting of all.

Opened in 2005, this refined boutique showcases local, contemporary designers who are inspired by traditional elements. The bold ceramics, delicate sake sets and elegant furoshiki wrapping cloths displayed with gallery-like cremenony are very much at home in the impressive Tadao Ando-designed building.

Carefully arranged cabbages and radishes fill wooden barrels, and the aroma of roasted chestnuts drifts through the air. Kyoto’s four-hundred-year-old covered marketplace is a feast for the senses. Hundreds of shops and tiny stalls line the long row that stretches for five blocks through the center of the city. In this lively atmosphere, dainty Japanese confections shaped like flowers sit side-by-side with tantalizing bites of sushi and a range of artful kitchenware.

Board a quick train ride beyond Kyoto to the Yamazaki Distillery, Japan’s first single malt whisky distillery opened by Suntory in 1923. Embark on a guided tour to learn about the process of how some of the world’s most distinctive whiskies are made. After time spent admiring the barrel, say kanpai to an exclusive tasting of unblended whiskeys not available outside the distillery.

Pass beneath a massive granite torii, shrine gate, follow cobbled paths lined with diminutive grottos and pavilions to the stately red lacquer Shinto shrine hung with delicate paper lanterns. The guardian shrine of the ancient Gion district, is a popular spot for traditional Shinto weddings, baby blessings and festivals. Wander through after dark when this sacred shrine takes on a fairytale glow when all the lanterns are lit.